Philippians 4:4 (MontgomeryNT)
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again will I say, rejoice!
Rejoice! This is to experience joy and gladness to a high degree, to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations.
Rejoicing gives pleasurable feelings and sensations that are not dependent on physical, material, or geographical abundance and abilities but is more of an emotional and spiritual state. It does not matter where you’re at, like Paul in prison, your spirit will rejoice in the God of your salvation Psalm 9:14.
We can rejoice always because our joy is dependent on the prescription of the scriptures and the Holy Spirit.
Why should we rejoice?
The whole of creation is encouraged to rejoice at God’s sovereign rule over the earth and exhorts us to rejoice in all of life’s activities with which God has blessed us.
Ecclesiastes 3:22 and 5:19 declare that it is appropriate to rejoice in our vocation because it is a gift of God.
Rejoicing in the Lord gives the sense of our hearts being glad or full of joy.
Matthew 13:20 says when we hear the word of God, it brings rejoicing in our hearts and override the bitter taste of life, because as Jeremiah 15:16 clearly states, digesting, delighting, and speaking God’s words tastes like honey.
A genuine Christian gathering is the most joyous place because it’s filled with the Holy Spirit. We burst into spontaneous praise, joyful dance, and exuberant shouts in the worship of the glory of God.
When the atmosphere is saturated with the glory of God, we are induced to rejoice in the Lord expressively.
Rejoice evermore declare 1 Thessalonians 5:16; be happy always instructs the scriptures, because the Christian faith was intended to remove misery from our lives with the Spirit of God driving the joy within us.
The instruction is to again and again rejoice, to be happy regardless of where life takes us and the circumstances, we find ourselves in according to Isaiah 29:19 MSG which says, “The castoffs of society will be laughing and dancing in GOD, the down-and-outs shouting praise to The Holy of Israel.” Accordingly, we must endeavour to express joy always.
Hebrews 12:2 says to look away from the problems, challenges and trials that suck the joy out of life but on spiritual and heavenly things connected with Christ that allows us to rejoice.
With our gaze fixed on Jesus, we can adjust to God’s way of thinking to discover that we can rejoice amid trials and suffering because of the pattern established by Christ Jesus, who “for the joy set before him endured the cross and through that suffering, we received the salvation that births rejoicing.
Galatians 5:22 counts joy as a fruit of the spirit so if we are always filled with the Spirit, and the Spirit causes us to rejoice, then it follows that we will rejoice always.
Despite the difficulties of life, we have reasons through the promises of Christ to rejoice, such as in miracles, signs, and wonders in Hebrews 2:4.
We can rejoice in the suffering of Christ in 1 Peter 4:13.
Because Christ in us is the hope of glory, we certainly can take in rejoicing in His resurrection and the Forgiveness of our sins according to Matthew 18:22.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Be continually happy with the joy found only in God. Rejoice in the Lord always.
Shalom